Plucky
by AmericanFairy
Summary: What was DG thinking when Lylo was interrogating her and why she had thought Cain was dead? This is my version of what happened between her interrogation and when she was locked up in the prison.


_**Title:**__ Plucky_

_**Author:**__ American Fairy_

_**Rating:**__ PG_

_**Characters/Pairings:**__ Primarily DG with Azkadellia, Lylo, Zero and mentions of Cain and the Mystic Man._

_**Summary:**__ I always wondered what DG was thinking when Lylo was interrogating her and why she had thought Cain was dead. This is my version of what happened between her interrogation and when she was locked up in the prison._

_**Warnings:**__ An ever so slight hint of violence._

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Tin Man or The Wizard of Oz. Just a fan girl throwing in my thoughts from the peanut gallery_

_**Word Count:**__ 997_

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"Stop, please stop! Stop!"

She was screaming but it seemed as if nobody could hear her. Either that or they were just tuning her out. Most likely the latter. How in the world did she get herself into this situation?

The viewer named Lylo was screaming in pain as Azkadellia's alchemists continued to prod him like a cow as she demanded that he find the answers. The answers that were locked away inside DG's brain. DG wanted to help him but her arms were tied to the chair. She could kick out but she was worried that the alchemist would turn on her with that electric stick.

She had been trying so hard to keep a brave face but she had never been more scared in her entire life. _Don't let them see it. You can't let them know that they're winning._

She remembered how it was like in middle school when she was the only girl in shop class. For a while all the boys had given her a hard time. But when it seemed to all appearances that their catcalls and taunts didn't bother her they stopped giving her a hard time and started helping her and even giving her praise for her work. The same thing happened when she first started working at the Hilltop. The older waitresses would look down at her and sneer when she messed up. A few of them even tried to openly start trouble but when she refused take the bait they backed down soon enough.

"Plucky," her father used to say. "DG's just plain plucky."

Well, right now she wasn't feeling very plucky. As she listened to Azkadellia's yelling and Lylo's painful screams DG felt just plain scared.

"How can he remember if I can't?" she asked as the tears began to form, her brave façade finally fading. All she wanted was for this nightmarish hell that she was in. If only this were a dream, one of those really long one that seemed real but in the end wasn't.

Azkadellia ignored her as she continued to pace the room. "What did Mother whisper in DG's ear about the Emerald?"

Suddenly, Lylo got really quiet. "Memories protected by… magic." His breathing started to become erratic as his head began to slump to the side.

"Lylo?" DG called out in concern as he became alarmingly still. What was happening to him? Would he be okay? She turned to see Azkadellia glaring down at her.

"Magic? I don't have to guess who's responsible for that do I?" She turned to a group of Longcoats who had been standing in the back of the room observing the entire scene. "Take her away!"

Rough hands unbuckled DG's restraints and hauled her out of the chair. She thought briefly about putting up a struggle but realized that the possible results were not worth the effort as they led her from the room. _Breathe, just breathe. It's going to be okay. _She told herself as she was pulled through the twisting corridors and down several flights of stairs, with the man the Sorceress had called "Zero" leading the way. DG glared at his back as she remembered that this was the man who had beaten Cain and locked him in that suit.

Just as they were entering the lower levels of the tower where the prisons were Zero suddenly brought the group to a halt. Turning around, he sneered at the young woman in front of him. She lifted her head and squared her shoulders mentally trying to prepare herself for whatever was to come next.

"Don't try to act so confident. There's no one to save you now," he stated smugly.

DG was dumbfounded. She had been expecting him to beat her, torture her, or at the very least demand the same answers that Azkadellia was seeking. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there'll be no rescue for you. He's dead." He smiled as realization dawned on her face. Driving his point home he stated, "Wyatt Cain is dead."

DG gaped at him open mouthed. She had thought that he had been captured, just like her. It never occurred to her that he might not have made it. "Dead?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Zero gave her a cold, satisfied, smile. "Dead. Shot through the heart." He waited another moment as he let the news sink in. "You can take her to her cell now," he spoke to the other Longcoats as he turned on his heel and left.

As she was being hauled once again through the corridors DG's mind was in a whirl. _Dead? How can he be dead? What am I going to do now?_ A slow ache had started to build in her chest. Yes, the man was cold as granite and most likely insane but he was one of the only people in this strange place whom she knew she could trust. And now he was gone and she was left alone. Were the rest of her companions also dead? She fervently prayed that they weren't.

An anguished roar interrupted her thoughts. A flash of hope shot through her as she realized she recognized that voice. "Raw?" she called out as struggling in her captors' grasp. She wasn't alone after all!

The bars clanged shut behind her as she was shoved into the tiny cell. She turned and immediately began to take in her surroundings. _What would Cain do?_ She mused silently and was immediately surprised that the thought had popped into her head. But in a strange way it made sense. If he was ever frightened he never showed it. He always took the calm, rational, approach to things. And that was exactly what she would try to do. Her father had always said she was plucky. Now was the time to truly live up to it.

A voice cut into her musings taking her by surprise. "I have a theory which cannot be unproven."

"Mystic Man? You're alive!"

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**A/N:** Okay, I know this isn't my best work by a long shot but this idea came to me while I was in the shower one night and demanded to be written. So here it is, enjoy!


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